


War of the Butterflies

by Kazel_Menra



Series: Miraculous AU Stories [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: random AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-14 05:41:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16486916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazel_Menra/pseuds/Kazel_Menra
Summary: Miraculous Ladybug AU where Hawkmoth has succeeded in taking over Paris and only after his success do the heroes Chat Noir and Ladybug emerge to help combat his tyranny.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is a random AU that refused to be ignored so I decided to write this idea out. Some character powers may be altered and Chat can do a type of cleansing. It doesn't have a true ending but it doesn't end on a cliff hanger and I have no plans to go back to write more in it either. Also since it isn't actually anything more than a couple of cobbled together ideas and scenes in my mind some characters are probably a little OOC in spots. In any case I hope you enjoy this odd little runoff.

"All is fair in love and war.' What a stupid quote." Marinette muttered looking out the window of her classroom. 

War sucked and there was nothing fair about it. Marinette had been born into a world at war and so had her parents. There was no end in sight and everyone held their collective breath waiting for the day when the so called world leaders got tired of it too and simply nuked everything. Marinette was born and raised in Paris but it was no longer technically a part of France. See while the France government dithered about who's side to be on and who to blow up next a madman had waltzed into Paris then took over. Those in the Franciscan government didn't seem to care probably because they figured they could always take the city back later and the madman wasn't doing anything too crazy to their knowledge. The mans name was Hawkmoth and he officially held all the power in Paris. He wasn't your run of the mill madman that could be taken down with a good police force either. Hawkmoth was strangely enough, a man of mystic abilities and he ruled through fear. His first step after he garnered everyone's attention through various random attacks was to literally make the mayor of Paris vanish before a major crowd. It was the one and only time he appeared before the public and that was when he unleashed his first akuma.

The akuma was a stone man that went on a rampage as Hawkmoth vanished into a cloud of butterflies. Paris had gone on lock down and it was then that Marinette had discovered a small insignificant looking box in her room. To this day she had no idea how it got there but if she ever met the person who put it there Marinette knew she would have a few choice words to say to them. Opening the odd thing had been easy. What came after… not so much.

"So let me get this straight. You want me a teenage girl to go out and defeat a magic monster?!" Marinette had demanded from Tiki who nodded.

"I… What?! Really?! I can't do that!" Marinette had cried

Really there had been no choice in the matter for the rampaging stone creature had moments later crashed into her house. Panic had filled her urging her to do the right thing especially when she heard her mom scream in fear.

"Spots on!" Marinette yelped and moments later she was practically flying out of her room swinging on a yoyo string. Twisting midair she saw the reason for the monster to have crashed into her home in the form of a boy dressed like a cat laying pinned under the rock mans foot.

Fury crashed through her at the sight and without a word she plunged towards them snapping the yoyo back into her hand. She smashed feet first into the creatures face knocking it off its feet freeing the cat boy. Marinette leapt off the creature as it slammed into the earth tucking and rolling to a stop on the ground.

"Look out!" The cat boy yelped and in the next second arms wrapped around her body sweeping her out of the way as the stone creatures hand slammed down into the place where she had been.

Somehow (Marinette wasn't really sure how) they ended up on the roof and the cat boy lowered her to the shingles taking a seat next to her. They were hiding as the Stone man smashed his way down the street looking for the two of them.

"Hello My Lady I am Chat Noir. Who might you be?" He asked

Marinette gaped at him flabbergasted

"Ladybug. You are Ladybug Marinette." Tiki whispered in her mind causing Marinette to shriek and jump. Chat did as well almost falling off the roof in the process.

"I can hear you?! In My Head?" She yelped causing Chat to back up slightly.

"Calm down Marinette. It's ok. This is normal. Tell Chat who you are." Tiki replied soothingly.

Blinking several times she glanced up to see Chat eyeing her, his head cocked to the side as if he were listening to something. Nodding once he gave her a wry smile.

"Its ok I freaked out a little when Plagg spoke to me the first time in my head too." Chat said and offered a hand. "You still haven't told me what to call you though."

"Its…I mean… I'm Ladybug?" she answered a touch questioningly as she remembered what Tiki had said.

Chat grinned as she accepted his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "Well then Ladybug it seems as if we have a mess to clean up. Shall we get started?"

Ladybug nodded his courage and determination giving her some much needed courage of her own. "Yes let's do this."

They fought the creature twice, each time causing an unholy amount of damage in the process. Finally though, on the third try they managed to strike the creature down, only for it to seemingly explode into a million black butterflies that took to the air. Most of them seemed to scatter across Paris while several dozen formed a face made from flashing butterfly wings.

"I am Hawkmoth and I am claiming this city as mine. Right now I will give you a choice. Join me and you will be able to keep your newfound powers. Refuse and I will destroy you." Hawkmoth said the sound of his voice sending shivers through the hero's bodies.

Both teens had glanced at each other then as one answered "No thanks."

The butterfly face had frowned for a brief second then in the next moment laughed. "How adorable. Out of all the people in the world you kwami have chosen children to finally fight me?" Hawkmoth asked

"I am not a child!" Chat snapped annoyed with the conversation and the butterfly face laughed again.

"OH so what are you then a teenager?!" Hawkmoth remarked snidely and Chat felt himself flush in embarrassment.

"Yes we are teenagers, and because we are young we have the ability to change and grow. We have the ability to become stronger as human beings. We have the ability to see both sides of our hemmed in world and unlike you we will not use our powers for your dirty work." Ladybug snapped and in the next moment she charged in yoyo sweeping before her as she captured butterflies. After a moment of shocked silence Chat joined her and within a minute all the butterflies had been captured.

"Miraculous Cleanse!" Ladybug shouted as Chat called out "Mystic Purge!"

Both of their bodies glowed as their suits absorbed the butterflies energies pink and white for Ladybug while Chat was coated with green and black. As it finished light flashed away from the both of them and the now purified butterflies poured from their weapons. The pure butterflies swooped past them fixing things as they went vanishing into the air as they did. The two hero's stood stupefied watching as everything went back to normal around them. Hawkmoths power was broken before he could even begin and they were proud of themselves.

Chat and Ladybug grinned at each other holding up their fists as one. "Pound It!" they crowed and then their world changed for the worse as their fist collided.

It was their first day and they had done remarkably well for their first day. Unfortunately they were lacking in ways that couldn't be fixed with simple things such as courage or determination. For one thing they hadn't been able to get all the information needed from their respective kwamis due to the immediate danger. For another they had absorbed most of the power from Hawkmoths butterflies in one go. While this meant Hawkmoths power for the moment was broken it wouldn't remain that way and they hadn't known what absorbing that energy had meant. Hawkmoth hadn't been captured simply weakened while they on the other hand had pushed themselves too far. Their bodies began to glow and glancing at each other they realized at the same time that something was very wrong.

"What's happening?" they cried grabbing hands

The kawmis couldn't answer them and as the two newly made hero's fell to their knees a man appeared before them. He was old and the suit that covered his body was distinctly turtle themed. Slowly he reached for them and Chat pulled Ladybug back behind him. Or at least he tried. Belatedly they both realized that they were frozen in place bodies still glowing oddly.

"You two have been chosen to save Paris and quite possibly the world." The turtle man said his voice echoing strangely. "However you will not be able to endure the power you now hold."

The two heros glanced at each other their bodies steadily glowing brighter.

"You two must learn your powers slowly and correctly. Hawkmoth must have known this would be the outcome of this battle." The turtle man looked sad and all Ladybug could think was that he was speaking in riddles.

"What are you talking about!" Chat demanded as the less patient of the two.

"Your deaths." The turtle man answered and if the hero's hadn't already been frozen in place they probably would have been by his words at that moment. "However you two have been chosen by the gods of destruction and creation. As such their powers far outweigh the creative butterfly. You two have a choice now. You can let this be your only battle return to your previous lives with no knowledge of any of this. Know this though part of the reason you were chosen is because you were fated to die in that first attack."

"Die?!" the two teens yelped and the man nodded "Fate may be changed but time has a funny way of repeating itself."

"Will you please stop speaking in riddles?" Ladybug asked feeling what little patience she had for this day swiftly dwindling "What's our other option?"

The man blinked at her a smile lifting his elderly lips. "You get your powers later but Hawkmoth has a foot hold in the city. Your lives will be far more dangerous but in the end I believe things will work out for the better."

Ladybug nibbled on her lip then glanced at the boy who had been her partner for all of a day. He had a distinctly determined expression on his face.

"I'm sorry My Lady but I'm in. I don't want to live in fear of this war like my father is, or a crazy madman and if I was fated to die anyways I'd rather give the world a better chance of coming out in one piece." Chat said his voice soft.

Ladybug squeezed his hand, she didn't know if she would regret her decision or not but Chat was right. "I'm in as well." She said and the turtle man smiled at them.

"Your kwamis chose well. Trust in each other. Keep each other safe." The turtle man raised his hands pressing a finger to each of their foreheads and in the next instant the world seemed to blink out around them.

Ladybug came to in an alley blinking and sitting up as she heard a groan next to her. Chat stirred by her and Ladybug was happy to see that he was ok.

"Marinette you're going to de-transform soon and so is Chat. You two need to get someplace safe now." Tiki murmured and somehow her voice seemed weak and exhausted.

"Oh now you speak?! Tiki what the heck happened and where are we?" Ladybug hissed

"You're in Paris but its not the same Paris you knew. Time is paused still but you two have to get back to your house or somewhere just as safe because I don't know the rules of this world yet." Tiki answered and Ladybug hid her face in her hands with a groan. None of this was making sense and yet she realized all she had was Tikis words to go on. With a sigh she turned to her partner who was still waking up beside her.

"Chat… Chat come on you have to wake up. We need to move." Ladybug hissed the eerie quiet of the world finally starting to get to her.

Chat groaned again his eyes fluttering open. "Did we win?" He groaned

"Not yet and apparently we need to get under cover." Ladybug answered helping him to his feet.

Together once Chat found his balance they moved into the empty silent street. "I… I know where we are. My house is nearby." Ladybug said softly as they ran forward.

"My house is nearby as well. If you want we can split up." Chat said his voice the only other sound besides their pounding feet.

Ladybug winced "We just got transported to a possible alternate world where our hero forms may be hunted for who knows what reason. I really don't think splitting up is a good idea even if it compromises our identities."

"Valid point." Chat chuckled and as they turned the corner they came upon a bakery and some frozen people.

"Whoa… time is literally stopped…" Ladybug whispered edging up to a man who was reaching for the door.

They were frozen one hand holding a phone to his ear as the expression on his face read somewhere between annoyed and exasperated. About to reach out and touch him Chats voice made her think again.

"Ladybug I feel as if we are being watched and I think Paris is starting to wake again." Chat called shifting uneasily as he looked about them.

Ladybug went back to his side immediately noticing what he had picked up on. The sky had been an odd off grey blue color when they first woke but it was slowly shifting to its proper shade. The air around them was changing as well an oddly charged sensation passing through them as a breeze began to blow.

"Follow me!" Ladybug yelped and slung her yoyo for the roof. Zipping up onto her balcony she landed awkwardly on the railing and wind milled her arms as she tilted backwards. Chat landed perfectly balanced beside her and caught her in his arms pulling them both to the safety of her balcony.

"Thanks Chat. Tiki says we have but a few moments. Get inside!" Ladybug hissed pointing to her trap door as her feet hit the solid balcony floor.

Chat nodded darting to the door and tossed it open diving through in a heartbeat. Ladybug followed and less than a minute later a shiver ran through the air bringing with it the sounds of life. Horns honked outside people could be faintly heard yelling and normal house sounds echoed around them. The two heroes slumped in relief then jumped as their miraculous beeped in tandem. There was no warning no time to turn away as all at once green and pink light flashed leaving two teens staring at one another in surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

“Um, Hi?” the handsome blond haired, green eyed boy said, somewhat hesitantly, blushing as he did so. 

Marinette blinked away her surprise, and swallowing her nervousness answered, “Hi.” 

The two kwami between them watched amused as the two children struggled to find words to say. 

“You could introduce yourselves,” Plagg said, and Tiki rolled her eyes.

“You could give them a minute, Plagg, they are adjusting remarkably well considering how this day has gone.” 

Plagg huffed in annoyance. “Too bad. I’m hungry, That power overload has worn me out, and I hate it when Jade interferes.” 

“There wasn’t any choice! You know that!” Tiki sniped back, and above them Marinette cleared her throat. Both kwamis looked up at her.

“Um, if you don’t mind, I would like some sort of explanation, if you please,” Marinette said, her voice soft, even though the confusion was clear in her eyes. Adrien leaned in as well. 

“Yeah, some information would be really nice. I mean, all you told me was that I needed to transform and take out the rock guy. What the heck happened?”

Tiki swatted Plagg, who hissed and fled to Adrien’s knee. “You gave this poor boy your miraculous without explaining anything?” Tiki buzzed, sounding rather terrifying for a creature so small. 

Plagg’s ears went flat. “I explained the basics! The stupid stone creature was right there, and the kit was about to get flattened! It wasn’t the best time for explanations!”

Tiki paused in surprise, and Adrien lifted Plagg into his hands. “He’s not lying miss. I was at fencing practice. I had just finished changing for the day, and that thing busted in through the wall. The box fell out of my bag and I was pinned under some rubble. Plagg gave me a choice and I took it.”  
Adrien looked up at Marinette who was gaping at him, the worry and concern for him obvious on her face. He blushed and continued. “I’m ok, I was just a little bruised-”

“And a cracked rib or two,” Plagg interrupted. 

Marinette gasped and Adrien waved his free hand. “Not helping, Plagg, and besides, I’m ok now! The light healed me, whatever it was, but with Plagg’s power I was able to free myself. He was telling me how to use it and trying to explain how to fight, but it was a little hard to listen when fighting for your life.”

Marinette nodded, understanding. “I know what you mean. uh… I still don’t know who you are, and I don’t think I should ever call you Chat out of costume. My name is Marinette,” She held out a hand as Tiki flew up to perch on her shoulder. “And, this is Tiki.”

He took her hand, meeting her eyes with a warm smile. “I’m Adrien, and the little guy is Plagg. I’m really happy to have met you, and be able to fight at your side.”  
Marinette smiled and then gasped, as she glanced down to see their hands glowing. 

“Don’t let go!” Tiki squeaked, flying off her charge’s shoulder. Plagg flew out of Adrien’s hand as well and the two kwamis lit upon there chosens’ hands together. A flash of light enveloped all four of them, and together they witnessed the events of the timeline they had become a part of. Surprisingly, it was almost the same. The Stoneman had rampaged through Paris, making it clear that no one could stop him, until the next day when Hawkmoth had shown up, once more demanding to be made ruler. The people relented and in a flash of purple butterfly wings the Mayor of Paris was suddenly returned. 

“You work for me. My rule is absolute. If anyone tries to rise against me, I will destroy them,” Hawkmoth said, and then with a smile continued, “Go about your daily lives, I will let you know when I need something.”

Butterflies swarmed his position and then he was gone, leaving the Mayor to clean up the mess the akuma made. People were outraged as the first thing Hawkmoth demanded was a special tax. Many refused to pay, and in the week that followed those people were attacked by random akuma who all bore the same message. ‘This is a warning. You will not get another. Do as you are told or there will be consequences.’ 

Most paid after that, and the stout few who didn’t found themselves attacked once more. For each of them, the most precious thing in their life was taken or destroyed. Their business, their home, their spouse, pet, or child taken, it was different for each person in question. The lesson was learned and taken to heart. Everyone paid the tax, and when Hawkmoth’s next decree came down, that no one was allowed out past 11pm with exception of the night workers, no one stood up to the idea. Some decrees weren’t so bad. Adrien's heart leapt at the one that said, ‘All children must go to school.’ It was still summer for another two days, but once that time had passed he would be able to go to a real school! The light flickered around them, showing how Hawkmoth used random people for his Akuma, whether they were willing or not, to spread fear through the populace around them. No one could truly trust the other because once Hawkmoth sent a butterfly to you, you couldn’t escape, and often times the butterflies caused the person who was resisting to do the very thing they didn’t want. The light released them, having caught them up to this world’s real time, and the teens looked at each other in horror. 

“We have to fight,” Adrien said, and was happy to see steely agreement in Marinette’s eyes. “Agreed,” she answered. “But we still need answers.”  
The two teens looked to the kwamis, who were still on their clasped hands. 

“Cheese first,” Plagg said, and Tiki swatted him even as her tummy rumbled loud enough for them all to hear. 

Marinette’s stomach echoed her kwami’s and she blushed, as Adrien grinned at her. “I’m hungry as well.” 

Marinette blushed a little harder, then nodded. releasing his hand to crawl to the ladder of her bed. “I’ll go get some food. Anything in particular you guys want?” 

“Cheese! Cookies! Pastries?” Came three replies and Marinette chuckled, crossing her floor to the trap door that led to the rest of the house. 

“Ok, I’ll be right back. My parents should both still be in the bakery, but try not to make too much noise.”

Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared down below letting the door snick closed in her wake. 

The moment she was gone Tiki flew up to eye Adrien then, without warning, darted forwards to poke him in the ribs. Two pokes later, Adrien failed to contain his giggle, pulling away and blocking his side with a hand. 

“What are you doing?” Adrien asked, as Tiki flew back up in front of his face. 

“Making sure you really are in one piece,” she answered, and before she could say anything else, Plagg flew up beside her, to slap a paw over her mouth. 

“No explanations. Wait till your little bug gets back,” Plagg growled.

Tiki pulled out of his grasp. “You just don’t want to explain things twice!” she buzzed, annoyed.

Plagg rolled in the air as he stretched, and his tiny twitching tail was the only sign of his annoyance. “We shouldn’t explain too much to them anyways, it’s better for them to figure it out on their own.”

Tiki huffed. “For a god of destruction you are far too careless. You just think its funny to watch them flounder.”

Adrien looked between the two kwamis wondering if he should get involved when the door to Marinette’s room opened once more. 

“I’m back!” Marinette called softly, hauling a tray loaded with food up into her room with her. “Come on down, though, because I really don’t want crumbs in my bed.”

Adrien practically leapt down the ladder, helping Marinette move some items on the floor so they could sit. The kwamis attacked the food eagerly, and Adrien waited till Marinette chose something before grabbing a pastry of his own. Three pastries later, Adrien was pleasantly stuffed and, from the look of things, so were the kwamis. Marinette nibbled on a cookie, her expression thoughtful. Finally, after glancing at her phone, Marinette sighed.   
“Alright, can we please have some sort of explanation?” she asked, her voice slightly pleading.

Plagg stretched as he kneaded the floor. “We are kwami. Tiny god-like creatures, and we have been alive for a very long time. Usually we help out when there is something huge going on in the world. We were awakened when this war began, and searched for wielders to bring the world back into balance. Unfortunately, the one who started the war found the butterfly miraculous, and in a quest for power, messed up big time. The fool was killed, but before we could reclaim the miraculous, it vanished. By the time we caught up with it…” Plagg trailed off, his eyes blazing, and Tiki patted him gently, then continued for him.   
“The person who claimed the butterfly miraculous this time isn’t a very good person either. They have better control over it than the previous one, but they are still misusing the power. He went underground when we got too close, only sending out attackers to harry our people. Our previous wielders tried to fight against him, but they lost in an ambush attack on the battlefield. They gave their lives for us, to ensure our escape, and we rejoined our master, Jade, until Hawkmoth resurfaced. He did so in Paris, probably because he felt safer in a city. We awakened once more to bring him down. This time we will succeed,” Tiki said, looking up into their chosens’ eyes. 

Adrien sat back. “Wow,” he breathed.

“Why us?” Marinette asked, somewhat awed by the story. 

To her surprise, Plagg answered. “For the same reason you told Hawkmoth off. You are young, resilient, can adapt, and you two are uniquely suited to our powers, just like this Hawkmoth is to Nooroo’s.”

Tiki nodded her agreement. “Yes, if you weren’t uniquely suited, you would have died the moment you absorbed the butterflies’ power to neutralize the damage.”

“What?!” both teen cried, and Tiki winced as Plagg rolled his eyes.

“Now you’ve done it. It’s your turn by the way,” he said, rolling over onto his back.

“We are gods, or fairies, or any other way you care to think of it,” Tiki sighed, knowing it wasn’t worth it to argue. “Point is our forms have a lot of power, and when a human uses us they become a conduit to that power. Some humans can’t handle it, and if they try to force it they, at best, go crazy. At worst, they die. You two are unique in the fact that not only can you handle our power, but you can absorb Hawkmoth’s as well. We both told you about purification because it’s the only way to stop the akuma. However you should only ever do one butterfly at a time. You overloaded yourselves with that massive capture, and it would have killed you had Jade not stepped in.”

“Um, was that the turtle guy?” Adrien asked, breaking in.

Tiki nodded. “Yes, he usually watches over us when we are not needed, and helps us find new wielders when we are needed. He controls time in a manner of speaking, and he was able to send us forward using the excessive amount of energy you two had purified.” 

“Oh,” Marinette said, and yawned hugely. A moment later Adrien echoed her and the two kwami glanced at each other.

Plagg gave a heaving sigh, and took off into the air to float before Adrien. “You kids are done in. Adrien, if you want to go home tonight you need to leave now.” 

Adrien blinked feeling the first tendrils of exhaustion seeping through him. “Ok, but I think I’m going to have to sneak back in. I don’t know where I am supposed to have been right now.” 

Plagg nodded. “Don’t worry, I can get you in without being caught.”

“No transforming!” Tiki buzzed, flying over to them. 

Plagg hissed with exasperation. “And drain the kid further? I’m not stupid, Tiki. Come on, kit, up!”

Adrien stood with a chuckle, Marinette following close behind. 

“I’ll walk you guys down and when you get home, um… text me!” Marinette said, then looked up when Adrien hadn’t moved. “You do have a cell phone, right?” she asked, bending to open her door. 

Swiftly Adrien patted his pockets, pulling out a cellphone a moment later. “Shall I save you under Princess?” He asked, earning a blush from her as she answered,   
“Sure, I’ll save you under hot stuff.” 

Adrien felt his cheeks redden, and figured he deserved it, for starting the banter. “Will I see you soon?”

Marinette nodded as she walked them to the front door, managing to avoid the bakery and her parents’ notice. “Yes, we will have to meet up so we can start our plan of attack on Hawkmoth. No texting about it though, or calling. I don’t know if he can tap our phones, but it would be silly to get caught over something like that.”

Adrien agreed and they traded numbers at the door, with the two kwami hovering between them.   
“I’ll text you when I get home,” Adrien said with a small smile, not really wanting to leave Marinette’s side. 

To his surprise, Marinette smiled and pulled him into a hug. “Please do, I’ll worry otherwise,” she whispered, wondering how she became so attached to this boy so very fast.

Adrien hugged her just as tight, never wanting to let go but, meeting Plagg’s eyes, Adrien knew he had to go, since the trickle of exhaustion was already growing far stronger.   
“I don’t live far and I will see you soon,” Adrien promised, pulling back from the hug and opening his jacket for Plagg to hide in. 

Marinette grinned weakly at him, watched him open the door, and slip out.   
“See you soon,” she whispered to the door, worry already spiking through her. After all, goodbye felt so final, like it was an ending. 

Blinking, and spinning away from the quiet hall, Marinette darted back up to her room, feeling more exhausted with every step. Finally, she crashed to her bed, still fully clothed, although she managed to take off her shoes and jacket this time. 

“What’s wrong with me, Tiki?” Marinette asked, realizing what she felt was not normal. 

“You purified a swarm of Hawkmoth’s butterflies, cleansed an entire city, and jumped through time about three weeks. You’re lucky exhaustion is the only thing you feel.” 

Marinette grumbled, her eyes heavy. “I have homework to finish…” She managed, her words slow and slightly slurred.

Tiki patted her cheek. “Sleep, child. We will see what tomorrow brings.” 

Marinette didn’t answer and Tiki sighed, floating down to curl up in her hair. Moments later she too was asleep.   
Marinette slept the whole next day, only wakening when her parents checked on her. When she did awake on her last day of summer, she woke in a slight panic checking her phone. There was only one message on it 

‘Safe, princess’ – Hotstuff. 

Marinette blinked at the message, a little confused, until the events of the previous days suddenly crashed down on her. 

“Tiki?!” Marinette squeaked. 

“Yes, Marinette?” Tiki asked, floating up from down below where she had been exploring. 

Marinette blinked once, twice, then groaned, flopping back onto the bed. “It wasn’t a dream,” she muttered, and Tiki giggled. 

“No, it wasn’t, and your parents were very concerned about you yesterday. Also, you said something about homework?” Tiki said, her voice holding a questioning tone. 

That got Marinette up and out of bed. As she busied herself, Marinette started asking questions which Tiki answered to the best of her ability. 

“We won’t be jumping through time again, will we?” Marinette asked.

“No, Jade only interfered because you two are badly needed and your deaths would have been…” she trailed off for a moment, clearly looking for a word. 

“Tragic?” Marinette supplied, a shiver running through her at the thought of dying. 

Tiki gazed at her. “Yes, very much so for you and all of Paris.”

Marinette shivered again. “Ok, so how do we defeat Hawkmoth?” 

Tiki shrugged. “You have to find him and take his miraculous. You will have to fight his akuma and cleanse their powers. This will also make you stronger and give you a better edge when going after Hawkmoth. I don’t think I have to tell you to never tell anyone, even your parents, about your true identity.”

Marinette shook her head rapidly. “It probably wasn’t a good idea for Adrien and I to reveal our identities to each other, but…”

“The benefits outweigh the risks, especially now,” Tiki answered, cutting her off. 

Marinette sighed, tracing her fingers over her phone screen. Adrien had answered her text a while ago, saying his home life was the same as ever, even in this new world. He, at least, was excited for school tomorrow. 

“Tiki… I don’t know how to fight like this. I mean, mama taught me how to fight so I could protect myself, but now…” Marinette murmured, the path before her seeming insurmountable, as she looked up information on Hawkmoth.

Tiki flew to her side and settled on her shoulder. “That’s ok, Marinette. You will learn! You and Adrien will learn and train together. I suppose you will have to find a place to do that, but the point is everything is going to be alright.”

Marinette glanced at her kwami, the feeling of fear within her heart slowly dulling. She had a job to do and moping around wasn’t going to help her at all. “Right. First day of school is tomorrow too. I’d better get to bed early.” 

Tiki smiled at her charge and watched as she continued working. She wasn’t sure what school was going to be like, but Tiki hoped that it would at least be interesting.   
Marinette went to bed early, and it was the most awful sound that awakened Tiki the next morning. Marinette awakened to it as well, and she ran about frantically getting ready, nearly forgetting Tiki in her rush. At the last moment Tiki dove into her small purse and then they were off. Thankfully, they weren’t late, and on the school steps she ran into another person, named Alya. They were friends on the first word and the two girls made their way to the classroom they had been assigned to. As Marinette walked in, two things caught her attention. One was Chloe, who was in Marinette’s usual seat, and the other was a boy, who appeared to be sticking gum on the only two remaining seats in the classroom. 

“What are you doing?!” Marinette cried. 

The boy spun around and Marinette felt her heart stutter. It was Adrien, and the moment he laid eyes on her Marinette knew he recognized her too. He froze, a blush staining his cheeks as he tried to explain, but Alya cut him off. 

“How dare you put gum on our seats. If you’re going to be one of those snobby bullies you should go do it somewhere else!” Alya snapped, not giving him a chance. 

Marinette wanted to say something, profess his innocence, because Marinette knew Adrien would never do something like this. However, in a flash Marinette realized she shouldn’t know him. Adrien looked to her, his eyes pleading, and Marinette ever so slightly shook her head. Understanding dawned, and he pointed to the gum. 

“I was just trying to get it off,” he mumbled. 

“Sure you were. Now, if you don’t mind, I think you have done enough damage,” Marinette snapped. 

Adrien's body language was the epitome of defeat at her words, but as their eyes met Marinette saw a mischievous trust. He moved away, head down, and sat before Chloe who was crowing about something or other. The boy next to him began talking to him and after placing a napkin over the gum Marinette sat down with Alya at her side. Her pocket buzzed and pulling out her phone Marinette glanced down at the screen, while sharing a cookie with her new friend Alya. 

‘You’re quite the actress. Sorry about the gum’- Hotstuff. 

Marinette snuck a glance over at Adrien, who seemed to be animatedly chatting with a boy named Nino. Seeing her glance, Adrien turned towards her, giving her a sheepishly adorable smile. Marinette huffed, turning away and typed, 

‘Not bad yourself. We will talk later, ok?’ – Princess.

He sent an affirmation in the form of a green paw print, making Marinette roll her eyes. Class started moments later and, with a sigh, Marinette forced herself to pay attention. The day went by surprisingly fast and soon the final bell rang, releasing a wave of happy students. Marinette got held up at her locker and so it was her luck to find herself at the entrance of the school just as it started pouring. She stood there for a moment, one hand out to the rain, letting the sound and feeling of it soothe her. 

“Hey there,” a voice said and Marinette jumped, turning to see Adrien   
A couple of students from their class were nearby, clearly looking far too interested in what was going on with them. 

“People,” Marinette answered, turning her head away as if she were still miffed.   
Adrien turned his back to them raising a hand to hide his snicker. Then he held up an umbrella, stepping out into the rain as an idea made him freeze. Swiftly he turned to her. 

“I really was just trying to get the gum off. I… I’ve never gone to school before, so this is all new to me,” Adrien said, and Marinette nearly giggled at his plaintive pleading tone. 

“You are so hamming this up,” she mouthed, and Adrien gave her a million dollar smile. 

“If you don’t mind, can we, maybe, start over?” Adrien asked, and all at once held out his umbrella. 

Marinette wanted to call him an idiot, but instead, with a gentle smile, she reached out and took the umbrella, leaving him to steadily get soaked in the rain. The moment she had it in her hands it closed on her, and Adrien instantly started laughing. Marinette couldn’t help but laugh as well, and after shoving the umbrella into a proper position, she held it up so it could cover both of them.

“Friends,” Marinette said firmly, holding out her hand, and Adrien took it with a smile. He then kissed it when he realized the nosey students couldn’t see what they were doing at this angle. 

“Adrien…!” Marinette hissed, a blush heating her cheeks.

“They couldn’t see. I’ll see you later, princess,” Adrien murmured back, with a happy grin. Before she could scold him, he turned and jumped down the steps, darting to a fancy car that had pulled up at the school’s entrance. 

Marinette shook her head after him and, with a smile firmly in place, began her walk home.


	3. Chapter 3

Darkness fell quickly and Marinette helped her parents in the bakery until the rain slowed to a trickle, texting Adrien all the while. They had decided to meet at Marinette’s house, and Marinette had promised to feed Adrien when he came over. Unfortunately, Adrien had to wait a while to sneak out, but Marinette wasn’t concerned about him navigating the streets in the dark. Tiki had told her that as Chat Noir anything would be hard pressed to find him in the darkness, especially when he didn’t want to be seen. It was after hours now, as they worked as a family to clean and organize the bakery for the next day. Marinette frowned as she watched her parents nervously finish their separate tasks. Once it had gotten fully dark outside, they both seemed far more tense than normal. Her mom had even locked the door as soon as the lights outside came on. It was odd to Marinette, but she didn’t dare ask questions, especially since it was clearly something she should already know. They were getting ready to head up to eat dinner when all of the sudden a knock came at the door. Her parents tensed, looking out the glass hesitantly. Marinette, however, recognized the person standing there, who had seemed to magically appear. 

“Adrien!” Marinette cried with a grin, darting to the door to unlock it. He grinned at her through the glass, eyeing the street watchfully. Jerking the door open, Marinette pulled him in out of the damp, closing the door swiftly behind him again. 

Adrien grinned smugly at her. “Hey, Marinette!” 

“Marinette, lock the door and both of you come upstairs, quickly!” Sabine hissed, swiftly turning the lights off. 

Marinette and Adrien glanced at each other, both feeling a bit confused, but they did as Sabine asked, moving up the stairs with Tom following up last. Once they were on the main floor Marinette’s parents seemed to relax a tiny fraction and they turned to Adrien, worried, confused looked on their faces. 

“Marinette, dear, who is this?” Sabine asked finally, when the two kids remained silent to the adults’ questioning glances. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, how rude of me. My name is Adrien Agreste, and I’m a classmate of Marinette’s,” Adrien said, holding out his hand for her parents to shake. 

They both shook his hand and, this time, it was Tom who spoke. “Son, what are you doing out so late? You do realize curfew is in effect now, correct?”

Adrien gave him a blank look, then suddenly remembered about the curfew. “Oh… oops,” he murmured, and Marinette winced as well. She hadn’t remembered about the curfew either. 

“I…um… promised to feed him dinner!” Marinette said, feeling a bit awkward. Neither of them had thought this through and it showed badly. Her parents just gaped at them, and Adrien spoke up. 

“I’m sorry for intruding. I can leave…” Adrien began. 

Sabine shook her head and Tom broke in before Adrien could say any more. “You’re not going anywhere tonight. It’s past curfew and there is no way we are letting you out to get attacked. You will stay here tonight, in the spare room. Marinette can you get it set up?” 

Adrien blinked, surprised at the protective tone in Tom’s voice. It made him blush a little and Marinette grinned a little wryly. The next time they decided to meet they would have to remember about curfew. 

“Yes, Papa. Come on, Adrien, I’ll get you some clothes and stuff,” Marinette answered, and the two of them moved towards Marinette’s room, leaving two very bemused and slightly worried parents behind. 

“Your parents are really nice,” Adrien murmured, once they were in her room. 

Plagg shot out of his pocket the moment the door was closed. “Do you have any cheese?” 

Marinette giggled, as Adrien groaned, “I just fed you!”

“Marinette has some cheese over here for you, Plagg!” Tiki called from an almost hidden shelf.

Plagg zoomed over to her and Marinette moved to her drawers, pulling out an oversized t-shirt and a pair of green, sleepy pants. “Here, you can use these,” Marinette said, returning to his side to give him the clothes. 

Adrien took them with a smile. “I’m sorry about this. I guess we both forgot about the curfew. Think I can sneak out the back door?” 

Marinette knew he wasn’t serious and she swatted his shoulder lightly in jest. “No, but we can use my skylight to go for a run once my parents fall asleep. For now, though, let’s get your bed made up.” 

Together they made up the spare room and afterwards played some video games, while her parents cooked dinner. They all ate together and Marinette’s parents asked about school as well as several questions about Adrien. Adrien had never really had anyone so interested in him before, so he eagerly answered any question her parents asked. Marinette smiled at him, wondering what his home life was like that made him so happy to get out and away from it. When they were finally all talked out, Marinette and Adrien cleaned up the kitchen as her parents prepared for bed. They spoke in hushed tones, having already decided to go to sleep for a few hours before going out on their first patrol run.  
After saying goodnight to her parents and Adrien, Marinette went to her room, setting an alarm on her phone before climbing into bed. Tiki joined her after a few moments, curling up on Marinette’s cat pillow. 

“Your parents are very welcoming people,” Tiki said, her voice soft. 

Marinette nodded with a smile. “They always have been Tiki. I’m a little surprised they didn’t ask more questions, but my mom once told me that everyone is entitled to their secrets. They have always given me my privacy, but now that all this Hawkmoth stuff has happened I have to wonder if it will stay that way.” 

Tiki hummed softly. “I think they will remain the way they have always been. I would just be a little more careful when it comes to the rules.” 

“Yeah,” Marinette yawned, turning over on her side. “We will be getting up in a little bit but, for now, Goodnight Tiki.” 

Tiki smiled at her chosen. “Goodnight Marinette.”

Something poked at her, stirring Marinette from her slumber. A soft chiming joined in and Marinette rumbled, opening her eyes to find Chat sitting off to the side, one hand reaching forward to poke her nose.

“Stoooop,” Marinette groaned, twisting so that her face was hidden in her pillow.

Chat bounced on the bed. “Come on, Marinette! It’s like 2 in the morning and there is no moon out! Let’s go run!” 

Marinette unburied her head while one hand snagged her phone to turn off the alarm. She had slept hard, which wasn’t surprising, and now that she was waking up she too felt a trickle of excitement flow through her. Chat bounced on the bed again and this time Marinette sat herself upright, with a giggle at his antics. 

“Someone is an eager kitty,.” Marinette murmured, wiping the sleep from her eyes as Tiki flew up to hover before her. 

“Cats are creatures of the night by nature. Ladybugs are creatures of the day,” Tiki said by way of explanation.

“You still want to go run, right?” Chat asked, his eyes wide and eager. 

Marinette nodded, pulling back her covers. “Yeah, let me just check on my parents and then we can go.” 

“Already did,” He said smugly. “I wanted to make sure they weren’t awake, but I had already transformed, so I went to check as is. It’s easier to move quietly when you are a cat, and your dad snores.”

Marinette snickered and pushed herself up to her feet. “Yeah, he does. Alright, Tiki, Spots On!” 

They left via skylight and stuck to the shadows as they made their way across Paris. There wasn’t a soul to be seen on the usually busy streets and it made the two heroes a bit nervous, even though they had expected it. They made a loop of the city memorizing places to hide and the easiest paths. They both knew they would need more practice to truly learn the city, but they also knew that they didn’t have a whole lot of time. Finally, Ladybug called for a break and they stopped on a random rooftop to catch their breath. 

“I’m glad both of your parents are in the city,” Chat said softly. 

Marinette blinked at him. “Aren’t your parents?” 

Chat shook his head. “My mom died when I was little, but my father was away on business when Hawkmoth came through. Apparently he can’t get back because there is some kind of shield over Paris that prevents passage to those who haven’t been approved to leave.”

Ladybug gaped at him. “There is a shield over Paris?!” 

Chat nodded. “The gorilla told me. Do you want to check it out?”

“Yes! If it’s preventing people from leaving, we definitely should!” Ladybug answered.

They stood and Chat led the way since he could actually make out the slight glimmer of the shield in the air. Crossing a bridge, they entered a park-like area where statues of people littered the grounds. Ladybug went up to the closest one, her hand automatically reaching out to touch it because it didn’t seem right to her. Tiki hissed in her mind as she made contact, making Ladybug jump.

“What’s up?” Chat asked, as he came to stand beside her. 

Ladybug had a look of horror on her face and after a long moment of silence she spoke telling him what Tiki had just told her. “These statues are living people!” She hissed. “I think we are in an akuma’s zone and apparently it can turn people to stone!” 

Chat looked around them nervously. “I think all the areas near the shield’s edge are akuma zones. Let’s just look at the shield and get out of here.”  
Ladybug agreed, and since they didn’t hear or see anything but the statues, they continued forward arriving at the shield a minute later. Chat was the only one that could really see it and Ladybug halted when he did. Squinting at the air before her and frowning Ladybug found she could just barely make out a shimmer in the air. Taking a final step forward Ladybug reached out to press a hand to it. The shield felt odd to her, like pressing her hands against the surface of jello. Leaning against it, Ladybug yelped when all at once she fell through and tumbled to the grass. 

“Ladybug!” Chat hissed, darting back to her side. He didn’t have any trouble bursting through the shield either, and he held out a hand for Ladybug to pull herself up.   
Together they eyed the shield warily, especially now that they were on the wrong side. The two of them could hear cars on this side overlaying the normal night time sounds of the city. They could even make out laughter coming from deeper within the outlying area. 

“I guess the shield does more than keep people in,” Chat muttered, his ears twitching with every new sound. 

Ladybug nodded, reaching out to take Chat’s hand a bit nervously again. “We need to see if we can get back in.” 

Together they took two steps forward, crossing through the invisible shield, this time with no issues at all. Silence surrounded them again and Ladybug let out a held breath, releasing Chat’s hand with a smile.

“I…” She started, only to be interrupted. 

“Well, now, I thought I sssmelled sssomething,” a feminine voice hissed in the darkness. 

Chat returned the hiss with a, “Who’s there?” instantly dropping into a half crouch as Ladybug reached for her yoyo. 

Shadows shifted between two statues and a strange sight, like something out of a Greek legend, slithered forward. It was a snake woman, her upper torso scaled and human while where her legs should have been only a long muscular tail remained. The most terrifying thing, though, was her face. She didn’t have any eyes, her head which was slightly oblong, revealed a mouth that opened far too wide and had way too many fang like teeth. From about two inches back away from the mouth to its neck the entire head was covered in what looked like dreads but at the end of each thick strand was an odd white looking ball. Talons covered her hands where her fingernails should have been. 

“Who are you? Medusa?” Chat asked when the snake creature stopped moving. 

The hair poofed slightly at his voice, the balls bouncing on the ends of their strands as they twisted independently in the windless night. A forked tongue flicked out and the lips pulled back revealing more of the akuma’s fanged maw. 

“I am Viper, and you are jussst sssome children,” Viper hissed, her tail twitching as she slithered forward a little. “You sssmell ssstrange, though. Not quite hhuman, but not akuma eithhher. What are you?” 

Ladybug clenched Chat’s arm, stopping him from speaking. “We are new recruits making a quick round of the shielded area. We will be leaving now. Sorry, if we disturbed your rest,” Ladybug called, hoping that Viper wouldn’t notice the tremor in her tone. 

“Fassscinating,” Viper whispered, her tail curling about her. “Utterly amusssing. That isss a good one, but I can sssmell your fear.” 

She lunged at them and Ladybug shoved Chat sideways as she went airborne. Viper slammed down where they had been, her jaws snapping shut inches from where Chat’s foot was. He yelped in surprise and Viper twisted towards him, jaws agape, until Ladybug slammed back down on top of her back. 

“Run!” Ladybug cried and Chat darted off on all fours, out of Viper’s range. Ladybug leaped off Viper’s back, trying to gain some distance as well. Before her feet could touch the ground however, Viper’s tail swung around and slammed into her. The blow was a harsh one and Ladybug smashed into a statue, knocking it off its feet although it, thankfully, didn’t break. 

“Ladybug!” Chat roared, catching her attention as she managed to get an arm under her. Viper was already lunging at her again, jaws agape, as she prepared to bite her in half. Ladybug froze in fear unable to even scream and everything moved in slow motion. Viper’s jaws were a foot away from her head when booted feet suddenly slammed into the side of Viper’s head, throwing the akuma sideways. Chat snarled, using his claws to slash at Viper’s hair and back, only to be tossed off as Viper screeched. 

“Marinette move! You have to get the possessed item!” Tiki cried in her mind and Ladybug gasped, suddenly her fear shattering at Tiki’s voice. Scrambling to her feet, Ladybug threw her yoyo, snagging Chat about his waist, and pulled him out of harm’s way as Viper’s tail smashed down where he had been a moment earlier. Darting to her side, Chat panted hard, as Viper let out an ear splitting shriek. 

“I think we pisssed her off,” he remarked, purposefully mocking her stressed speech. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “We need to get her possessed item. We can stop her if we do!” 

“You can’t ssstop me!” Viper snarled, lunging at them again, her talons slashing down. The two heroes dodged the assault, both looking for anything out of place on the akuma. Nothing stood out to them and they fell back, till their backs were once again at the shield. 

“I don’t see anything!” Ladybug cried, feeling stressed. Viper lunged at them, tail swinging around faster than Ladybug could dodge. The tail slammed into her, tossing her right through the shield. Hitting the ground, Ladybug shot right back to her feet to gape in horror as Viper’s talons tore into Chat’s back. 

“Chat!” Ladybug screamed, and launched herself back towards the shield. She wasn’t going to make it though. Chat’s wound had shocked him for a second too long, and Viper had managed to wrap him in her coils. Viper had Chat pinned, her jaws unhinging as she prepared a fatal bite. Chat was hissing at her in fury, his claws scrabbling over her smooth scales. 

“You two ssshould have never tresssspasssed,” Viper snarled, her head lunging down. 

Ladybug’s yoyo slung around Viper’s head, and she pulled hard to the side, making Viper miss her target. Viper reared back with a screech and Ladybug hauled on the yoyo string harder so that Viper’s head cracked hard against the shield. Viper twisted in on herself at the harsh impact, releasing Chat from her coils, and not missing a beat Chat launched himself at her, slamming her into the shield once more. Through the shield Chat could see Ladybug straining to keep Viper pinned by her head and seeing his gaze she mouthed, 

“Her Hair!” 

Realization dawned and doing his best to avoid slashing teeth Chat grabbed at the dread like strands. Viper shrieked at the touch, her whole body convulsing and almost throwing him off completely. As it was, she jerked Ladybug back through the shield by the yoyo and Viper slung her head back trying to get rid of Chat’s weight. Chat clung with all his strength, as Ladybug tumbled, trying to brace herself on the ground. Viper shot forward at her and Ladybug dodged, Chat’s excess weight on Viper making it easier to dodge. As Viper started to twist again, a glimmer of purple caught Chat’s attention. 

“That’s it! Grab it, kit!” Plagg hollered in his head and Chat released his death grip on one hand to snatch at the purple thing. As his hand closed around it, Viper’s whole body swung to the side, smashing into the shield. The impact knocked Chat from his place and, managing to keep a hold of the possessed item, he hit the ground outside of the shield. Rolling upright, Chat saw to his horror that Ladybug had been caught and her yoyo firmly wrapped around Viper’s mouth was the only thing preventing her from being bit. As it was, Viper’s talons were digging into her back, but Ladybug held on stubbornly. 

“Break it, hurry!” Plagg snarled, and Chat crushed the snake hairpin in his claws. 

A black butterfly wiggled out and Chat slammed his baton down on it, capturing it. Viper’s body dissolved, dropping Ladybug and a woman to the grass just inside the shield. Chat managed to make it to his feet, running forward through the shield and dropping to his knees at Ladybug’s side. She grinned weakly at him. 

“Purify the butterfly,” Ladybug whispered and Chat nodded, forcing himself to stand up.

“Mystic Purge!” he called out, black and green light swarming over his body, healing him as it moved. The light swarmed away from him, covering Ladybug, before racing out in zigzags. The light swarmed the statues which one by one shattered freeing the trapped people. The light dissipated in the distance and Chat dropped to his knees, helping Ladybug sit up. 

“You… ok?” Chat panted, suddenly feeling as if he had run a marathon, now that the danger had passed. 

Ladybug groaned. “I think so? We should probably get out of here though.” 

The people who had been statues were starting to come around one or two already on their feet. The woman that had been Viper stirred as well asking, “Where am I?” as they sat up.

“Agreed. Chat murmured and the two of them rose to their feet ignoring the suddenly fearful look Viper gave them. 

“Please don’t hurt me!” She whimpered and Chat blinked, glancing at Ladybug who shrugged. Clearly the woman didn’t remember being Viper which meant the people trapped in stone probably didn’t remember what happened to them either. 

“We aren’t going to hurt you. We fixed you and you should really get out of here before any other akuma show up,” Ladybug said, keeping her voice gentle. She wanted to reach out to her but the woman was scared and Ladybug doubted she would want to be touched. 

“Who… who are you?” Viper asked, her voice still a frightened squeak. 

Ladybug smiled but froze as she stared to answer. Chat knew she was listening to Tiki and he wondered what the kwami was saying. Finally, just as the silence was about to become intolerable Ladybug answered. “You will know who we are soon enough. Just know that you are free.” 

With that said, Ladybug jerked her head to Chat and the two of them darted away from the scene of the fight. They traveled quickly and silently through Paris but they had to hide several times when they saw an akuma moving towards them. Finally Marinette’s house came into view and they practically sagged in delight when they hit her balcony. They released their transformations as soon as they were in her room and Marinette squealed in delight as she threw her arms around Adrien. 

“We did it!” She squeaked, her whole body practically vibrating with joy. 

Adrien spun her around feeling his own heart filling with joy as well. “We did! We can do this!” 

The two kwami watched amused as their chosen chattered for several minutes going back over the battle and discussing what they could work better on. 

“This is going to take a while,” Plagg murmured to Tiki, who nodded. 

“It’s only going to get harder too, but they worked so well together. I think this is the best partnership so far. I really believe they will be able to do this,” Tiki answered. 

It was going to be a long road. One of hardship and most definitely trouble, but seeing how his kit and Tiki’s bug were clinging together, happy grins on their faces, Plagg for once agreed.


End file.
